Sweet Pea
by SarahRad
Summary: BBC Sherlock/Cabin Pressure Crossover. Martin Crieff and Molly Hooper are married and expecting. Un-beta'd and un-britpicked. Major WIP
1. Chapter 1

Captain Martin Crieff sighed as he unlocked the door to his flat. He hadn't been home in three days and all he wanted was a real meal and a night of uninterrupted sleep with his wife tucked warmly up against him. It was only 7:30pm, so he figured there would at least be some leftovers in the fridge from whatever it was that Molly had had for dinner. She was probably curled up with a book or something, waiting for him to get back. She knew he was on his way home.

But when he unlocked the door to their flat and dragged his suitcase across the threshold, the apartment was silent. Only Toby the cat greeted him at the doorway.

"Hello?" he called.

Silence.

"Molly? Are you here, love?"

Still nothing.

With a frown he went to the bedroom to see if she was there. She wasn't, and neither was she in the bathroom. It was only upon entering the living room that he noticed his wife sprawled across the couch, completely passed out asleep.

He crouched down next to her and softly shook her shoulder.

"Molly, wake up love." She snored a bit and rubbed her face into the couch cushion she was using as a pillow.

"Mmmmmsleeping." She mumbled into the pillow.

"You sure are, darling. But don't you think you'd be a lot more comfortable in bed with me, rather than on the couch with no blanket?" Martin asked while he ran his fingers through her hair.

With great difficulty, Molly pushed herself up into a sitting position and blearily blinked at her husband. It seemed to take her a moment to fully process what he was saying to her.

"I think you've got a good point there, Martin." She said eventually before leaning forward and wrapping him in a big hug. "Welcome home. I missed you."

"I missed you too, Molls." He pressed his face into her shoulder. Just the smell of her made some of the tension from work leak out of his body. He pulled back and kissed her softly.

"What did you have for dinner?"

"I didn't have dinner. I wasn't hungry." Molly said.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead and cheeks, feeling for a fever. "It's not like you to skip dinner and then fall asleep so early, especially on the couch."

"Oh stop that, I'm fine." She pushed his hands away. "I've just been stressed at work lately. I probably need to relax and take some time for me, that's all."

He smiled at her, and smoothed her hair away from her face.

"If you say so." He kissed her again. "Come on, let's just go to bed then. I'm fairly knackered, myself."

As he lay in bed with his arms wrapped around Molly he realized she was already fast asleep again. Frowning, he wondered what could be going on at work that would make her so exhausted. But he was himself too exhausted to dwell on it much before he was asleep as well.

* * *

Martin woke up early, thanks to his early bedtime. Molly was still fast asleep, snoring softly on her side of the bed. He decided he would make a big breakfast and surprise her when she woke up.

After showering and shaving, he stood in front of the fridge, trying to find something suitable. He ended up settling for bacon and eggs.

Once he had two plates full of scrambled eggs and bacon, he decided he would be the best husband and serve it to her in bed and make her feel really special. As he entered the bedroom with the plates balanced on his arm, she rolled over towards him with a smile, her nose sniffing at the air.

"Martin, what's - Oh god!" she said, before bolting out of bed and into the bathroom, where he could hear her throwing up.

His heart dropped. His cooking wasn't that terrible, so he knew it wasn't the prospect of eating his breakfast that had her so sick. But he wished he could do something to make her feel better. There wasn't much he could do, but he put the plates down, and went into the bathroom where she was crouched on the floor in front of the toilet.

He held her sleep rumpled hair back out of her face and rubbed her back slowly as she heaved. Eventually it stopped, and she leaned back against Martin's chest.

"I'm sorry, Martin."

"Don't be. Nobody can help when they get sick."

"I know, but I've ruined your breakfast."

"Don't worry about it. It can still be salvaged. And besides, you're far more important than some bacon and eggs anyways." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple.

"I love you, Martin." Molly said thickly, some tears slipping down her face.

"Hey, what's this?" Martin asked, wiping the tears away.

"I don't know! I just feel like I'm breaking down. I have no idea what's going on." Molly said frustratedly, burying her head in his shoulder. "I think I'll go to the doctor today. Find out what's wrong with me."

"Do you want me to come?"

"No, no, I'll be fine. I'll get dressed and go to the doctor's, and when I come home, I just want to curl up with you on the couch and watch a movie, how does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect, Molly."

Martin sat on the couch fidgeting with the television remote while a show he wasn't paying attention to droned on. Molly had left for the walk-in clinic two hours ago. He knew that it could take a while, but he was anxious. He didn't like to see her feeling anything less than fantastic, especially when there was nothing he could do to help. Too anxious to stay sitting down, he began to pace around the living room, still mindlessly flipping the remote in his hand.

He heard the front door crack open, and he was in the foyer before he even thought about meeting Molly at the door. She had a bit of a shocked look on her face, as if she was still processing what she had learned.

"Well? What did he say? Molly?" Martin asked nervously, trying to prompt some information out of his still-silent wife.

She looked up at him and slowly a smile spread across her face.

"Martin, I'm fine. In fact I'm… I'm pregnant."

All of the air seemed to rush out of Martin's lungs. The world spun around him, and he found himself leaning against the wall so he wouldn't fall over.

"Martin! Martin calm down, here sit down." Molly said as she helped him slide down the wall to the floor. She waited for him to say something, but he just stared blankly at the wall opposite, his mouth hanging open in shock.

"Martin, please say something." She asked a little desperately.

"We're really going to have a baby?"

"Yes. Probably in July, but that date isn't for sure yet."

"Not sure yet? What do you mean?" Martin was starting to wake up from his shock.

"Well we can't know exactly how far along I am until I get an ultrasound, which I have already scheduled for next month. But July is a safe bet."

"July…" Martin said slowly, as if he were trying to say it for the first time. "We're having a baby in July."

"Yes, we are. Martin say something, what are you thinking right now?" Molly asked

"I'm thinking we're going to need a bigger flat." Martin said, finally turning to look at Molly. She gaped at him for a second before bursting out into giggles.

"Yes, I think you're probably right. But we've got nine months to figure that out, so don't you worry." She said between giggles. Martin smiled and pulled her into his lap, wrapping her in a gentle hug.

"We're having a _baby_." He said incredulously into her hair. She smiled and kissed his neck. She'd hoped he would take it well.

"Yes love, we are." She cuddled into his embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

Martin sat in the waiting room, reading the many informational posters on the walls and listening to the kids playing in the toy area, while Molly wiggled in her seat next to him.

"What time is it?" Molly moaned as she scooted to the edge of her seat and wiggled, and then scooted back again. Martin looked at his watch.

"It's 11:50. Not too much longer." He said, rubbing the back of Molly's neck as she leaned forward with a groan.

They were waiting for Molly's ultrasound appointment which was scheduled for noon. Her instructions had been to drink a litre of water before she arrived for the ultrasound, and being a medical woman, she had followed the directions exactly. Unfortunately she now had an uncomfortably full bladder, and was in a bit of pain while she waited.

"Molly Crieff" A nurse called from the doorway.

"Oh thank god" Molly breathed as she got up. Martin followed behind her, but the nurse stopped him.

"Sorry Mr. Crieff, only your wife right now. We'll come get you when we're ready."

"Oh. Okay then." Martin said, feeling a little put out. Molly gave him a small smile before following the nurse around the corner.

Martin sat back down, feeling a tad lost. He didn't know what to do with himself. He was still having a hard time adjusting to the idea of a tiny person forming inside of Molly. He hoped that this ultrasound would help him get used to the idea. Seeing a tiny baby on the screen would certainly help him figure a few things out, at least.

Being left alone in a waiting room full of women and small children wasn't Martin's idea of a good time. Children had always made him a bit nervous, they were too hard to predict. Babies seemed so fragile, what if he broke them? He hadn't voiced his fears to Molly yet, afraid that she would just laugh at him. He was a grown man who flew a plane around the world for a living. He shouldn't be afraid of a tiny human.

"Martin Crieff?" The nurse was back.

"Yes, that's me." He said, his head swivelling to the sound of his name.

"Right this way, please."

Upon entering the room, Martin saw Molly lying back on a bed, her jeans unbuttoned and her shirt pushed way up. There was a large amount of goo spread over her still-flat belly, and an ultrasound technician was manoeuvring a hi-tech looking wand through it.

"Martin come look." Molly said, reaching out for his hand. He crossed the room and took her hand, raising it to his lips for a kiss. His hands were shaking, and he knew he couldn't hide it from her. Molly always knew when he was nervous. She gave him a soft look with an accompanying crooked smile before their attention was drawn to the computer screen on the other side of Molly.

"Alright, now if you two will look at the screen there, you will see your baby!"

Martin looked at the screen, but he couldn't make out a baby in all of the black and white static. He looked at Molly, and from the look on her face, he didn't think she could see it either.

"Umm, where exactly?" Molly asked tentatively.

"Should be right there in the middle." The technician said, moving the wand around to get a clearer picture. As the image shifted, it did become clear too. Martin stood gaping at the image on the screen, and he heard Molly take a gasp as she saw it.

It didn't look much like a human, but he knew it was his child. It's little heart was beating quite obviously, and it wiggled what little limbs it had.

"Martin, you're crying." Molly said through tears of her own. He hadn't even realized he was crying, but as Molly reached up and wiped tears off his cheek, he knew it was true.

"That's our baby, Molls. It's half of you and half of me. That is _our_ baby."

"Oh Martin, of course it is." Molly choked through a wave of fresh tears.

"Well, everything looks good and healthy. Let me print you off a scan of this, and I'll let you guys get cleaned up. Molly, there's a toilet just through that door if you'd like." The technician said as she wiped the majority of the goo off of Molly's belly.

"Oh yes please!" Molly cried, pushing Martin out of her way as she vaulted off the bed. A minute later she was back in the ultrasound room where Martin had been left alone. She took one look at him pulled him into a hug.

"Are you alright, Martin?"

"What? Yes of course I am. What would make you think that?" Martin asked.

"You're not meeting my eyes and you're shaking like a leaf. What's wrong?" Molly could always see right through him, he didn't know why he bothered trying to hide anymore.

"Nothing's _wrong_, really. I'm just.. Just…" he looked at her helplessly, trying to will her to understand what he couldn't put into words. _I'm ecstatically happy but I'm also terrified. Terrified that I won't be a good father, that I'll drop the baby. Terrified that as a pilot I won't be home enough for you and the baby. Terrified that we won't be able to afford to put this child through music lessons and football teams. I'm terrified of making a mistake._

"Martin, take a deep breath. It's going to be okay. We're going to be fine. Whatever fears you have, let them go. Nobody is perfect, and you shouldn't expect yourself to be. We'll make it through this, okay? Just calm down." Molly said soothingly, steering him to sit on the edge of the bed. She pulled him close to rest his head on her shoulder and she stroked his hair and back, making quiet shushing noises. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're going to be a good mother, Molly." He finally said into the quietness of the room. She pulled his head up to look at her.

"And you are going to be a wonderful father, Martin." She placed his hands on her belly. "This baby is going to be the luckiest baby in London, because it's going to have _you_ as it's father." Martin looked up at her with worry in his eyes.

"But what if I'm not a good father?" he whispered.

"You _will_ be. Babies can be scary, I know, but trust me. Instinct will take over. And you are one of the most loving, caring, considerate people I know. If that isn't a good trait for a father, I don't know what is."

"Molly, I think you're giving me too much credit. What if I let you down?" He dropped his eyes to his hands, still resting on Molly's belly. She put a finger under his chin and tipped his face up to her.

"You could never let me down, love." She kissed him slow and deep, trying to show him how much she loved him.

"Come on. Let's get that picture and go home." She said, pulling him towards the hallway.

"Yes ma'am!" Martin said with a grin, following her out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Martin walked in the door of the flat and stopped dead in his tracks. The entire foyer was filled with old cardboard boxes. He peeked into the nearest one and found it full of tiny girl's clothing, dating from the early 80s if the fashion was accurate.

"Molly?" Martin called warily.

"In the living room, love!"

Molly and her mother were sitting on the couch flipping through a few old photo albums. There was old baby clothes strewn all over the floor, and a stroller was parked in a corner.

"Martin, come look at what Mum brought over." Molly said with a big grin. He had just got back from a two day flight and all he really wanted was a shower and to change out of his uniform, but he couldn't resist that smile, so he sat next to Molly on the couch, giving her a one-armed hug and a kiss on the temple as he did. He felt her lean into his embrace and he couldn't help but smile as well.

"So what's all this, then?" he asked

"I brought over some of Molly's things from when she was a baby. I thought you might be able to use some of it." Molly's mother Barbara said.

"Wow, this is great! Thanks, Barb!" Martin said. He didn't actually see how they could use a lot of the stuff, but it was nice gesture, nonetheless.

"Look at these pictures, Martin! Wasn't Molly just the cutest baby you've ever seen?" Barb asked, pressing the photo album into his hands. It was filled with page after page of Molly as a baby. Baby Molly dressed in little costumes, Baby Molly playing with a doll, Baby Molly crawling, Baby Molly chewing on a LEGO. Baby Molly's parents sure were shutterbugs, Martin couldn't help but think. He wondered if his baby's first year would be so chronicled.

"Wow this is just adorable, Barbara!" Martin said with only half a false smile. "If you two would excuse me though, I'd really like to change out of this uniform."

"Oh of course! Sorry to drag you in here immediately." Molly said, just realizing how overwhelmed he must be. She kissed him as he stood up and made his escape.

He had to haul his suitcase over all the boxes in the hallway and pick his steps carefully.

Molly was only 13 weeks pregnant and they had just announced it two weeks ago. Molly's parents had gone a bit overboard since then. Martin's parents were happy as well, of course, but he had older siblings that had already had a few children. A new baby was exciting, but this wasn't the first grandchild for his parents. Molly was an only child, and Barbara and Frank were simply ecstatic.

Martin sighed as he undressed and got into the shower. He tried to let the hot water bleed the stress out of him, but it wasn't helping much. He just couldn't get over his worries that Molly's parents would try to be a bit _too_ involved in the raising of their child. Of course he wanted them involved, but he wanted this to be his and Molly's family, not Barbara and Frank's. They could be a little overbearing with their daughter sometimes.

He stayed in the shower for a long time, mulling over his thoughts in the hot water. He didn't realize how long he'd been in there until he saw how pruney his fingers had become.

By the time he left the bathroom dressed in a t-shirt and some flannel pyjama pants, Barbara had left. He found Molly in the kitchen, flipping through one of the photo albums. This one looked to be from when she was five.

"Hello Molly, my love." He said as he wrapped her arms around her from behind, kissing her cheek.

"Martin." Molly sighed with a smile, bringing a hand up to run her fingers through his wet ginger curls.

"Did you miss me?" he asked,

"I always miss you when you aren't here." She said, closing her eyes and leaning back into him. He kissed her jaw, and down her neck to her shoulder.

"How was your weekend?" He asked, reluctantly pulling away from her neck and stepping around to sit across from her.

"Quiet. Lonely. Alright." Molly shrugged. Martin frowned.

"How's the morning sickness?"

"Almost non-existent." She said with a smile. The morning sickness had been particularly bad for a while. Now that it was easing off she was starting to feel more like herself. "Do you want some tea?"

"Yeah, tea would be nice." He said. He watched her as she moved around the kitchen, putting the kettle on to boil. As she reached up into the cupboard to pull down two mugs her sweater rode up and Martin had to do a double take.

"Molly!" he said, getting up a going to her at the counter.

"What?" she asked, spinning around in surprise, almost dropping the mugs. He took them out of her hands and placed them on the counter before pulling her pink sweater up around her ribcage.

"Martin! What are you doing?" she yelped, gasping as the cold air hit her stomach.

"Look at you. You've got… You are… Well, just _look_." He said, running his hand over her belly. She gaped at him for a second before running over to the hallway mirror.

He was right. She stood there holding her sweater up, just staring at her body's profile in the mirror for a long time. She had a belly. It wasn't much of a belly, but it was certainly there. She ran her hands over the small bump in awe.

When she finally looked back over at Martin, he was staring at the bump like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Martin?"

"Baby." He breathed. To his complete confusion, this caused Molly to burst out laughing.

"Yes, Martin. That is our baby." She walked over to him and pulled him down for a kiss. She had intended it to be a chaste kiss on the lips, but Martin had other plans. He pulled her up against him, teasing her lips open with his tongue. She threw her arms over his shoulders, burying her fingers in his hair. She wasn't going to say no to this. She couldn't help but smile into the kiss when his hand wandered down her back and grab a handful of her ass.

Martin was just about to suggest moving to the bedroom when the kettle began to whistle. He broke away with a gasp for air, and leaned his forehead against Molly's, giggling a bit.

Once the tea was made and they were sitting at the table with their mugs, Martin's attention returned to the photo albums.

"Molly, this is going to sound bad but, all of this stuff…" Martin started

"I know, we can't use most of it." Molly agreed before he could finish.

"Oh." Said Martin, a little taken aback that she had agreed with him.

"You didn't think I wanted to dress our child in ratty old clothes, thirty years out of date, did you?" Molly asked, hiding a grin in her mug.

"Well, no. I just thought you might have a bit of an emotional attachment to some of these things, is all."

"Oh please. I don't even remember wearing most of those clothes. And the stroller isn't exactly regulation safe these days, either. Once the baby is older, some of the toys will be good, I'm sure, but that won't be for a while."

"I'm so glad you feel that way, Molly." Martin said, radiating relief.

"Really? Why is that?"

"Well, this is really nice of your parents and all, but they've been a bit…"

"Excited?" Molly supplied with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Excited. But I want this to be something that you and I do, on our own, you know? Something for us to be proud of." Martin said with a faint blush.

"Are you afraid of my mum being overbearing?" Molly asked, shrewdly picking out exactly what he meant, as always.

Martin nodded, a little embarrassed.

"I think this is something all new grandparents do. And honestly, I think we'll be glad for the help at first. But they'll back off soon enough, don't you worry."

"But what if they don't, Molls?"

"Well then I'll tell them. Easy peasy." Molly said with a nod.

"How did I get so lucky to have the best wife in the whole wide world?" Martin asked as he leaned his chin on his hand, looking at Molly dreamily. Molly rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Oh please. Come on, let's go to bed, you ridiculous man." She said, leaning over the table to give him a kiss before walking down the hallway to the bedroom.

Martin didn't care what anybody else said, he knew he had the best wife in the world. Nobody could convince him otherwise.


	4. Chapter 4

Molly was 21 weeks pregnant, and her small bump had grown quite a bit. It now impeded her ability to tie her shoes and wear her favourite jeans, and most of her shirts had difficulty covering her belly all the way. To cope with this, Molly had gotten into the habit of wearing a pair of Martin's old sweatpants and an old stretched out tank top when she was at home.

Martin wasn't complaining.

"Molly, what do you want for dinner?" Martin called from the kitchen. He was rummaging in the fridge for meal ideas while Molly was in the living room, watching telly. It was always hard to find food that Molly wouldn't turn her nose up at these days. He heard the television shut off. "Molls?" he called again.

"Mmm I think I could go for a bit of _that_ for dinner." Molly said in a tone just dripping with innuendo.

Martin straightened up and saw Molly standing in the kitchen doorway, watching him like she was starving and he was a Christmas turkey. She couldn't be any more obvious if she had been drooling.

Martin was a little surprised. Since she had become pregnant, Molly had had very little interest in the actual act of have sex. Kisses and gropes, sure, but it always stopped before it went anywhere.

He was going a little crazy.

Molly _swaggered_ across the kitchen floor towards him, pinning him in place with her eyes.

"Molly?" Martin asked. He wasn't quite sure what he was actually asking.

Molly had backed him up against the fridge now.

"Martin." Molly breathed as she pressed her body against him. Martin moaned, feeling that beautiful firm belly press into him. Before he could react to anything else, Molly grabbed the back of his head and crushed her lips against his.

She devoured him, biting at his lips and tongue. He gave it back as enthusiastically as he could, but he couldn't keep up with her.

"Oh god, I want you so bad Martin" she moaned as she sucked a love-bite onto his neck. He had to hold onto her hips to keep himself standing at that point.

"You can have me, Molls." He said, trailing kisses along her jaw.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway to the bedroom, where she tossed him on the bed before pulling off the old tank top.

Martin drank in the sight of all her bare flesh. The sweatpants were riding low on her hips, and dipped below her belly, not leaving much to the imagination. Her breasts were swollen as well, and her bra was having a hard time containing them these days. She quickly unclasped the bra, freeing her breasts with a sigh. He could just stare at her all day.

But Molly was having none of that. She climbed on top of him and began yanking at his shirt, trying to get it over his head. Eventually she had to give it up for a bad job and let Martin do it himself. She climbed back on top of him and began kissing him feverishly again.

He ran his hands down her sides, and under the waistband of her sweatpants, grabbing two large handfuls of ass.

Molly broke of the kiss and rested her head on his shoulder, panting for air.

"Oh god, Martin, I need you so bad. I need you, now."

"Well then let's get rid of the trousers." He growled, pushing them and her underwear down over her hips. Molly shimmied them down her legs and kicked them off, sending them flying across the room.

"You're turn, love." She said with an almost feral smile, undoing the fly on his jeans. She pulled his trousers and pants off, throwing them across the room to join her own.

Martin slid back onto the pillows and Molly followed him, settling herself on top of him. She wiggled her hips, getting Martin good and aroused before he grabbed her hips and steadied them.

"Now, Molly." He begged through clenched teeth. She leaned forward and kissed him before sitting up straight and sinking down onto him.

They moved slowly at first, finding their rhythm. Molly braced her hands on his chest, while Martin's hands found a home on Molly's hips. It didn't take long before their rhythm became a bit more forceful, a bit quicker.

"Yes, oh god, Martin, yes! Come here." She hauled him up into a sitting position so she could kiss him while she ground down on him.

"Molly!" Martin gasped at the changed angle. Molly had locked her mouth on his collarbone and was sucking it as hard as she could. He was nearing the edge, and he leaned back so he could get a bit more thrusting leverage.

Molly came with a muffled cry as she bit down on his shoulder. She went limp as he thrust quickly into her, racing to his finish. He came with a shout, riding it out with small thrusts before collapsing back on the pillows, breathing hard, like he had just run a marathon. Molly spread herself across his body, pulling the blanket from the foot of the bed over them.

"Well that was fun." Molly said with a grin before kissing Martin on the cheek. He was staring at the ceiling, still trying to catch his breath. He looked over at her with wide eyes, and burst out laughing.

"It sure was, you ridiculous woman." He said, pulling her into a hug. "Where did that come from, anyways?"

"Hm? Oh, I don't know. I've just been feeling really… well, randy for a while now. Seeing you bent over at the fridge in those jeans, well, I didn't stand a chance." She kissed his chest this time, before pillowing her head on his shoulder.

"Well I'm not complaining. It's been a while, love." He said while trying to stifle a yawn.

"Mmmm I know. I'm sorry."

"What? Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. It's that little sweet pea, taking up residence inside you. I blame it entirely." Martin said with a sleepy grin. He yawned again.

"Let's just sleep, love. We can have dinner later." Molly suggested, yawning as well.

"Good plan." Martin mumbled as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

They woke up at 8:00 and decided to order Chinese because neither of them wanted to get properly dressed, or cook any food. They ended up camped out on the couch watching The Music Man as they ate. Molly had to correct Martin's hold on the chopsticks many times.

"Do you want to find out the gender of the baby, love?" Molly asked as they cuddled after they finished eating.

"I don't really know. What do you want?" Martin asked. He knew Molly could tell he was purposefully deflecting the question but she didn't say anything. The truth was, he didn't want to know. He was rather old-fashioned like that, but he knew it was a very common thing to find out early these days.

"I can't decide." Molly said. "Some days I want to know, others I don't. Some days I'm certain it's a girl, and other days I'm absolutely convinced it's a boy. I just can't make up my mind."

"Well," Martin started, picking his words carefully. "Maybe it would be best if we didn't find out. That way you won't regret a hastily made decision later. I mean, we're going to find out eventually. And if we decide that we don't like the decision we made, we can always make a different decision next time."

"Next time? Dear lord, Martin. I'm still pregnant with the first one, and it's not exactly all kittens and rainbows. Let's not be too hasty here." Molly said, a little alarmed. She hadn't known Martin was planning a whole brood.

"No! That's not… You know what I mean… don't you? Oh lord, I've really screwed up now, haven't I?" Martin said, leaning forward and burying his face in his hands.

"Hey. Stop that." Molly said, frowning at Martin's exposed back. He had never put a shirt on. She smoothed a hand over his smooth freckly back and tried to tug him back up, but he was having none of that. His face was firmly planted in his hands. Her frown deepened and she resorted to drastic measures: she poked him, _hard_, in the side.

He jumped up with a yelp, falling right off the couch. He glared at her from the floor, his legs tangled in the blanket.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the spot she had poked.

"To get you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. You did nothing wrong. I was just a bit surprised, is all. We never even discussed having this child, let alone a horde of them. I didn't realize you were so broody, that's all." Molly said.

"I'm not _broody_, per se. Just, I would like more than one child. As much as I complain about my siblings, I like having them. I have a feeling I would have had a boring childhood with just myself." Martin explained.

"Well, we'll see what happens later. This isn't really something we have to decide right now." Molly helped him back up on the couch before cuddling into his side again.

"So tell the truth this time. Do you want to find out the gender?"

Martin hesitated, looking down at her head, resting on his chest.

"No. I don't want to find out early." Martin said eventually.

"Okay. We won't then." Molly said with a sigh and a small smile. Martin wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer, once again marvelling at how he managed to find such a perfect woman to marry.


	5. Chapter 5

Martin grabbed the post before he headed up to their flat. He started to flip through the paper, looking at the classifieds, as he walked down the hallway. Molly was 25 weeks pregnant, and they needed to find a new flat soon, or theirs was going to become very cramped, very fast. As it was, they already had lots of baby furniture and clothes and accessories piled in the corners of every room, just waiting to be assembled. Even in flat-packs, they took up a lot of room.

"Molly?" He called as he entered the flat.

"In the bedroom, love!" she called.

He found her folding baby clothes into tiny adorable piles on the bed. He didn't ask where she planned on putting it. He had made that mistake before, and it had resulted in a lot of yelling and crying and throwing things. He wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

He greeted her with a kiss and sat on the bed next to the tiny piles of clothes.

"So I was looking through the classifieds in the paper. There's a few nice sounding places for a decent price. We should probably start looking for a bigger place, don't you think?" he asked.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Molly sighed. Martin narrowed his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just, this was _our_ first place, you know? Sure we'd both had 'places' before, but this was the first one that we set up and made ours together. It's where we came home to after we got married. You carried me over the threshold."

"I know. I remember."

"It just seems like such a big part of _us_, don't you think?"

"Molls, we don't need a physical location to be Us. We can be Us in a cardboard box, for all I care. As long as we have each other, we are Us, and that is never going to change. We can make new memories in a new flat. We will always have the memories and photos from this place. It will always be a part of our history. Now what's brought this on?" He asked.

Molly had started crying halfway through his speech. He pulled her down to sit next to him and cradled her against his chest, rocking her a bit. He had gotten used to this. She had been bursting into tears over everything from the news to toilet paper commercials these days.

"Martin, what would I do without you?" Molly asked with a sniff.

Martin couldn't answer because he felt the same way about her.

* * *

They ended up finding a 2 bedroom flat in the same building that was available to move in at the end of the month. The price increase wasn't even that much, which was a relief to Martin's penny-pinching subconscious.

They had all of their parents, and all of Martin's siblings and their families over to help them move. It was fairly easy because they didn't have to go very far. They could send the niece and nephews up to the new flat with boxes of things that weren't too heavy. Every person helped.

It took one very long Saturday to get everything relocated. At the end of it, Martin and Molly treated everyone to pizza and beer, the universal payment for helping somebody move.

"So are you feeling these days, Molly?" Alice, Martin's sister, asked. The women were all sitting around the kitchen table while the men sat on the living room floor.

"To be honest, I feel terrible." Molly admitted. "I can't see my feet anymore, none of my shirts fit right, even the maternity ones, and I can't get comfortable in any position. The baby's kicking keeps me up half of the night too. I'm absolutely exhausted."

"So, standard feelings for halfway through pregnancy then?" Alice laughed. She had two kids of her own, who were currently in the living room with the men.

"Does it get any better?" Molly asked, a little disappointed in the news.

"Unfortunately it doesn't." Martin's sister-in-law Jenn said. "But don't worry, it will be over soon enough, and it will all be worth it." Jenn's son Jackson would be 4 years old in the summer.

"How is Martin handling everything?" Martin's mother, Shannon, asked.

"He's doing alright. Every now and then he'll get a little overwhelmed, but I just make him stop and breathe for a minute and he pulls through. I'm not sure what he's going to do when he finally has a baby in his arms." Molly admitted. The women all stopped to picture it for a second.

"I'll be sure to bring a video camera." Barbara said.

"I'm sure it will be a very attractive video." Molly said sarcastically, making everyone laugh.

"So how are things with Molly going?" Martin's brother Nathan asked, taking a bite of his pizza.

"Good. Things are great." Martin said. Nathan just raised an eyebrow at him.

"If you managed to find yourself a wife who doesn't go crazy when she's pregnant, I'm going to hurt you." Nathan said.

"Oh, that." Martin said. Before he could continue, Nathan, his father Ron, and Frank all burst out laughing.

"You seem to be handling it alright." Frank commented.

"I have my days." Martin said with a small smile. Before he could say anything else, his 5-year-old niece Emily jumped on his back.

"Up, Uncle Martin, up! Get me away from them!" she shrieked in his ear. Before he could even look at what she was running from, he was on his feet. Turns out her assailants were the boys, Zachary and Jackson, both of them 3 years old. This turned into quite the romp, with Martin galloping around the flat, vaulting over boxes with Emily clinging to his back while the boys chased them. The noise they made drew the attention of the women, who came out to watch the spectacle.

"I think he'll be fine, Molly." Shannon whispered in her ear. Molly couldn't agree more.

* * *

Molly closed the door to their new flat, after everyone finally left. She leaned back on it with a sigh, revelling in the silence. It wasn't very late, but she was completely exhausted.

"Martin?" she called.

"In here, Molls!" she heard him reply. She wasn't quite sure where he was though. This flat was much bigger than their old one, and with nothing on the walls, sounds echoed strangely.

"Where?" she asked, walking down the hallway. He stuck his head out of the second bedroom.

"In here."

"What are you doing?" she asked, entering the room with him.

"I'm just trying to picture it. With the furniture set up, pictures on the walls, you know?" Martin said.

"Where should we put the crib?" Molly asked, snaking a hand around Martins' waist and leaning into his shoulder.

"I was thinking under the window, maybe?" he said, placing his arm around her shoulders and motioning towards the wall with his hand.

"Hmm. But wouldn't it be a bit bright while it's trying to nap?" Molly asked.

"Could be, yeah. We'll have to see how much light the blind blocks out. Or we could put it in the corner over on this wall?"

"Yup. But listen," Molly started before being interrupted by a large yawn. "Why don't we set up our own bed first, and worry about setting up the baby furniture once everything else is unpacked?"

"Good plan, Molls." Martin said, sliding his other hand over her belly. He rubbed mindlessly for a few moments, just enjoying the quiet cuddles with his wife when he felt it. His hand stopped instantly.

"Was that…?" He asked, looking at Molly with wide eyes. She bit her lip and smiled, nodding slowly.

"It was?" Martin squeaked, sounding a bit undignified in his glee, for he had felt their baby kick. It was small feeling, a little press of pressure against his palm, but he had felt it. Molly had begun feeling the baby kick about a month ago, but so far Martin had missed it every time. It seemed as though the baby stopped moving as soon as he put his hand on her belly.

"Martin, you're crying!" Molly said with a giggle.

"I just felt our child! Our baby just kicked me! It's not just an abstract thing, that was _actually_ our baby!" Martin said, feeling light-headed and a little giddy.

"And what exactly is it about this belly that is so abstract, Mister?" Molly asked with a raised eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh stop that, you know that's not what I meant. But this is as close as I'm going to get to this baby until I'm holding in in my arms!" he explained a little breathlessly. Molly pulled him down for a kiss, placing both his hands on her belly as she did.

"You know what? We can probably just throw the mattress on the floor tonight. We can set everything up properly tomorrow." Molly said with a suggestive eyebrow raise. Martin caught on quickly, and nodded his agreement as they raced to their new bedroom, laughing.


	6. Chapter 6

Molly rolled over on the mattress on the floor that was their bed at the moment. They had been in their new flat for two days, but they hadn't had the energy to set up the bedroom yet.

The problem was, the mattress without the box-spring and bed frame was absolutely killing her back. She couldn't get comfortable in any position. She repositioned herself again, but stilled when she heard Martin snuffle and groan. She had woken him up.

"Molls? You okay?" he mumbled sleepily, rolling over and throwing an arm over her, pulling her close.

"No." Molly admitted reluctantly. She cringed as she waited for her answer to process in his sleep-addled mind. It took a second.

"What?" He asked, sitting up quickly. "What's wrong?"

"My back hurts. I have to pee every half hour, and it's really hard to get in and out of this bed on the floor. I'm exhausted. I think I'm hungry but I can't decide what I want to eat. I look like a beached whale. Take your pick." She said miserably.

"Oh Molly." Martin breathed, pulling her up into a hug. He rocked her softly as she cuddled into his shoulder. She really was miserable. "I think you're beautiful." He said, kissing her temple.

"Thank you, but I know you're lying." Molly said.

"I am not. I think you are absolutely gorgeous. Doesn't matter if you've just woken up, or have just come back from a run and are all sweaty, or if you're all dressed up for a night out on the town. You are beautiful at all times." Martin said. He meant every word too. Molly just looked up at him and kissed him softly before resting her head back on his shoulder.

"Come here. I may not be able to fix the peeing, or the level of the bed right now, but I can give you a back massage." Martin said, manoeuvring Molly to sit facing away from him, in between his legs. He started up by her shoulder, rubbing his thumbs in rhythmic circles into her muscles.

"Oh yeah, that's good. Down a bit?" Molly said, her head lolling forward. He obeyed, running his thumbs down her spine. She gave an almost obscene groan as he reached her lower back.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Oh yeah. Just don't ever stop, okay?"

"I'll see what I can do."

Martin continued to massage Molly's back until they both lost track of time. Eventually she just leaned back against him with a sigh. He wrapped his arms around her, placing his hands on her belly and his chin on her shoulder. They both dozed like that for some time before Molly was woken yet again by the need to pee.

She climbed back into bed with Martin's help and curled up on her left side. Martin wrapped himself around her back, and they fell asleep.

* * *

They woke the next morning, neither of them feeling very rested. Molly had to work, but Martin had the day off.

After Molly had left, all Martin wanted to do was crawl back into bed and sleep the morning away. Unfortunately he knew that Molly wouldn't be very happy with him if he did that, so he put on a pot of coffee and started making a battle plan.

First things first. He needed to set their bed up properly. He didn't want Molly struggling to get in and out of bed anymore. He finished his first cup of coffee and went to it.

He spent the first 10 minutes just eyeing up the disassembled bed frame in the corner. This really was a two man job, but all he had was himself, so he would just have to work through it.

After wrestling with the frame for a few minutes, he finally had it laid out to the right size. He just needed to screw in all the bolts and then move the box-spring and mattress on top of it. That was totally doable, right?

Apparently not.

As soon as he had one bolt in, the bed frame would shift as he screwed the washer and nut on. Eventually he figured out a system that involved holding one corner of the frame in place with heavy books, one corner in place with his foot, screwed a bolt in on one corner, and hoped for the best with the other corner. It looked a bit like a drunk game of Twister, but it worked for him.

With the bed frame successfully assembled, it was time to move the box-spring and mattress. The box-spring was leaning up against the wall, but when he moved the mattress to make room for the bed frame, he had blocked the box-spring in. He sighed and went about the process of uncovering the box-spring.

He ended up moving the mattress into the hallway (with some difficulty), putting the box-spring on the bed frame, and then hauling the mattress back into the bedroom and onto the box-spring. After accomplishing this, he rewarded himself with another cup of coffee. He felt it was well-earned.

After his cup of coffee he made the bed, and then turned his attention to the next item on his list.

The nursery.

They had already set up the living room, and all the other furniture in their bedroom, so there was no way he could avoid this. He was a little daunted by it, because it was furniture he had never put together before, and he didn't want to make a mistake. He also wanted to set up the nursery exactly the way Molly wanted it. It was a silly thing to be worried about, and he knew it, but he couldn't help it.

He worked hard at it all afternoon, and by the time he was finished he was exhausted. He collapsed on the couch and turned on the telly, needing something mindless to watch. It wasn't five minutes before he was fast asleep.

* * *

Molly came in after a very long and hard day at work. At least Sherlock hadn't been in today, though. She wasn't sure she could deal with him in her current emotionally unstable and exhausted state. She dumped her bags on the kitchen table and went into the living room where she could hear the telly. Martin was fast asleep and snoring on the couch. He looked like he'd been there a while. She smiled but decided to let him sleep. God knows one of them should be rested.

She wandered down the hallway and into their bedroom, looking for a change of clothes, but stopped short when she saw the bed. It was even made! She grinned to herself as she changed into her sweatpants and an old hoodie before wandering into the nursery, thinking about tackling that tonight. She stopped dead in her tracks when she walked in the door.

It was perfect. The crib was set up in the corner against the wall, and the change table and dresser were on the wall under the window. He had even moved the rocking chair and bookshelf in. She sat down in the chair and ran her finger over the brightly coloured books. She pulled out Peter Pan and began reading it.

She lost herself in the story and didn't hear Martin get up in the living room.

"Did I get everything right then?" He asked from the doorway, causing Molly to jump halfway out of the chair and drop her book. He bent down to pick it up for her.

"Martin! Oh, it's perfect! How did you get this all done today?"

"Coffee." Martin said, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't quite woken up all the way yet. "Is everything where you want it?"

"Everything is perfect where it is. You didn't have to do all this by yourself, love." Molly said, pulling him down for a kiss.

"I know. But I wanted to. And now it's done, and there's no more flatpack boxes lying around, and that makes me feel better. One less thing to worry about, you know?"

"So what's left to be unpacked then?"

"Not much. Just the little things, like wall photos. Shouldn't take long."

"I don't want to do that right now."

"Me neither. Do you want to go for a walk?" Martin suggested.

"A walk?" Molly repeated, looking a bit surprised.

"Yeah. Let's get out, get some fresh air. It'll be good for us." Martin said, pulling Molly to her feet.

"Well, alright then. Give me a minute though, I'm not leaving the flat dressed like this."


	7. Chapter 7

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Remind me why we're doing this again?" Martin asked.

"I told you, we're making a registry for the baby shower." Molly explained for the umpteenth time.

"But how does it work?" Martin really didn't understand. Why couldn't everyone just get them a gift and be done with it? Why did it have to be so complicated?

"A little card goes out with the invitations to the shower. Then people can take that card here and scan it, and it will tell them the items on the list that haven't been purchased yet. It helps prevent duplicate gifts and also let's people know what we need." Molly said patiently, although she didn't think it would last much longer. Dealing with Martin in Babies R Us was a bit like dealing with three toddlers with the chicken pox. All he wanted to do was play with the toys and run off in the opposite direction.

"And when is this shower again?"

"June 15th." Molly sighed.

"Do I go to the shower?"

"No, Martin. Baby Showers are something women do. My dad and your dad are taking you out to do whatever it is guys do without women while the shower is happening."

"What's this? Do we need it?" Martin asked, holding up a baby wipe warmer. Molly investigated it closer, and rolled her eyes.

"No. We don't need that, put it down."

"I'm bored. I don't know what we're missing, so how can I know what we need?" Martin said, kicking his heels like a child. He looked so forlorn that Molly almost forgot that she was annoyed with him.

"Okay. We need cot sheets and blankets. Why don't you go over to that area" she pointed it out "and pick out some good ones?" Molly said, sending him off in the direction of the nursery displays.

Martin wandered along the aisle, looking for something that might be cot sheets. As he looked around one of the cot displays caught his eye. He rushed over to it and found in it everything he could possibly want in a nursery.

There was an aeroplane mobile hanging over the cot, which was full of blue blankets with clouds and planes on them. Looking around, he found aeroplane wall decals and some toys as well. There was even a teddy bear dressed as a pilot! He grabbed the bear and ran back to wear Molly was scanning in bottle brushes.

"Molly, look! There's a whole display of flight decorations! We _have_ to get it." He said, shoving the bear in Molly's arms. She gave him a look that was halfway between relief and amusement.

"We're not getting anything today. But we'll add it to the registry. Just give me a mo'."

Maybe shopping for baby stuff wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

The shower was held in the backyard of Martin's parent's house on a beautiful June afternoon. The sun was out and it was an unseasonably warm 27 degrees, which kept the iced drinks in demand. Molly was 34 weeks pregnant and was not enjoying the heat. She was camped out in a lawn chair padded with many pillows in the shade of a tree, with her feet in a kiddy swimming pool. Her ankles were swollen beyond recognition and the heat wasn't helping.

Shannon, Barbara, Jenn, and Alice were there, as were some of Molly's girl friends from work. The ones with children had brought them along, and there was a rather energetic game of tag happening in one corner of the yard. The adults were currently trying to guess the original food item in baby food by sight and taste alone. Molly wasn't participating due to her large belly getting in the way, but it was very entertaining to watch her friends taste baby food. She wasn't looking forward to that. Something about the texture just made her want to gag.

Jenn won the game, guessing 7 of the 15 options correctly. Everyone settled back, laughing at how terribly they had guessed some of the foods.

"Why don't we bring out the cake, then?" Shannon suggested brightly, already heading to the house.

"Oh, I was thinking perhaps Molly should open her gifts next." Barb said, a little defensively. Molly narrowed her eyes, but she didn't see how she could head them off.

Luckily Molly didn't have to say anything.

"How about the both of you stay right where you are, and I fetch everyone some drinks. You two have worked hard enough, putting this whole things together." Alice said, getting up from her seat on the grass and sashaying towards the house. Molly sent her a grateful look that Alice received with a knowing smile.

"So have you guys thought of any baby names, Molly?" one of Molly's friends, Kim, asked.

"It's a bit hard to pick a name when we don't know the gender, but we do have a shortlist for each ready. I guess we'll decide when we finally see the little one." Molly said, her hands sliding unconsciously over her belly.

"When's your due date?"

"July 25th. Just one more month." Molly smiled excitedly.

If she was being honest though, Molly wouldn't have smiled. She was terrified. She was already so much bigger than she thought she would ever be. And in just one month she was expected to push a human being out of her body, a process she knew would be very painful. Despite all of her preparations, she also was scared of being a bad mother. She did all she could to make sure Martin knew that she believed he would be a good father, but she just couldn't believe it of herself, nor could she bear to say it out loud and see the look on Martin's face.

The cake and the gift opening passed without further incidence and only minimal interference run by Jenn and Alice. Molly would have to remember to thank them later. She loved her mom and her mother-in-law, but she just couldn't deal with them squabbling right now.

With all of the gifts organized in a borrowed laundry basket, Molly's friends from work bid Molly a goodnight and left for home. Molly read the kids a story and her sisters-in-law helped clean up, while they waited for the men to come back. Molly wasn't sure where they had gone, but they knew to come back around dinner time.

Half an hour later, there was the slamming of car doors and some loud off-key singing heard from the front yard. Everyone raced to the front window - except for Molly who had to haul her body out of the chair before waddling sedately behind them - to see Frank, Ron, Nathan, Martin, and Alex, Alice's husband, drunkenly swaying up the front walkway, singing what was probably meant to be a football team's anthem.

A collective groan left the group of women at the window. Shannon opened the door and gave the men an imperious and unimpressed look.

They didn't notice.

"Shannon, my love!" Ron exclaimed when he looked up from watching his feet. He lurched forward and threw an arm around her shoulders, planting a sloppy kiss on her cheek. Shannon tried to continue looking unimpressed, but she didn't do a very good job.

The men filed in, stumbling to their respective wives. Martin came in last.

"Molly! Oh, Molly my sweet, my angel." He slurred, lisping on his S's. He hugged her tightly and then sort of relaxed on top of her, using her as a leaning post.

"Have a good afternoon, love?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was great! Did you know that Jenn is pregnant again?" Martin said in a loud whisper. Everybody looked towards Jenn who was glaring at her husband who was leaning on her for support.

"What happened to 'not telling anybody yet,' Nathan?" she asked, although the heat in her voice wasn't as hot as she meant it to be. "Sorry, Molly. I wanted to wait until after yours was born to announce it. Didn't want to steal your thunder, you know?" She looked genuinely apologetic.

"Are you kidding? This is wonderful!" Molly said, waddling over to Jenn to give her a hug. Martin was still holding onto Molly so he got dragged into the hug as well.

"When are you due?" Shannon asked, a big smile on her face as she, too, held up her husband.

"Late December, early January. We don't have an exact date yet."

"That's so exciting!" Molly would have said more, but she had to stop and pick up Martin, who was drooping his tall frame to the floor.

"I think I should probably get somebody home and in bed. Mum, will you give us a ride?"

Barbara and Molly piled their husbands into the backseat of Barbara's Volkswagen and headed for home, trying to sustain their disapproval of their husbands' antics, but not doing a very good job. They were just too sweet.

"Molly, I don't care that you're really big, or that you have… what did you call them? Cankles? Whatever, I don't care. I think you are absolutely the most wonderful thing in the world." Martin said, draping his arms over the back of Molly's seat.

"Yes, Martin, so you've said." Molly said, trying to hide a grin. "Now would you please sit back in your seat?"

When they got to their flat Molly had a hard time hauling Martin and herself up the five flights of stairs. She wished the lift wasn't out of order for maintenance this weekend. The stairs were hell for her, and a drunk gangly husband wasn't helping.

By the time she unlocked the door Martin was practically asleep on his feet. Molly had had to leave their gifts with her Mum, because there was no way she was going to get them all in the flat tonight. She had her hands full just getting Martin through the flat and onto the bed. She pulled his shirt and trousers off, leaving him sitting on the bed in his pants as she went to get a glass of water. She made him drink it before she tucked him into the bed and turned the light off.

It was only 6:30 in the evening, and Molly had no intention of going to bed just yet so she curled up on the couch with a book and enjoyed the silence of the flat for a little while.


	8. Chapter 8

Martin entered the flat, carrying a paper takeaway bag. As soon as he opened the door he felt a wall of cold air hit him. He shivered as he toed his shoes off and immediately put on a pair of slippers before venturing further into the flat.

"Molls? I've got sushi." Martin called.

"You'll have to come help me up, Martin." Molly said from the living room. He ducked around the corner to see what she was doing and stopped short.

Molly was lying on her back on the floor with a pile of pillows under her back and her feet up on the couch. All of the fans in the room were pointed at her.

"Um, Molls… What are you doing?" Martin asked, feeling a little silly as he did.

"It's cooler down here. Putting my feet up reduces the swelling in my feet. Also this position helps relax my pelvis a bit which feels good." Molly said with her eyes closed. She was wearing an old pair of Martin's running shorts and a tank top that couldn't even dream of covering her massive belly. Despite the air conditioning and the many fans, she was still feeling overheated in the late July heat.

Martin would have complained about the freezing cold temperature, but he knew better. He had been freezing in his own home for almost an entire month now, while his wife roasted. He felt so bad for her inescapable uncomfortableness so he just layered on the sweaters and socks and didn't say anything.

Molly held out a hand for Martin's help. He got behind her and helped lift her into a sitting position before helping her to her feet. Martin headed for the kitchen to set up dinner while Molly waddled slowly behind him. The baby had dropped quite low and it made walking difficult for her.

"So what do you want to do tomorrow?" Martin asked as they munched on their sushi. Tomorrow was Molly's due date and they both had requested the day off.

"I think I just want to stay home with you. Don't want to go rushing about and get caught in labour in the middle of something, you know? Let's just stay here, cuddle on the couch, watch movies, you know? Just enjoy being the two of us without kids before it's over." Martin smiled. He couldn't have come up with a better idea if he had tried.

* * *

They spent the day on the couch watching light hearted comedies and romantic classics, but nothing else happened. Molly didn't go into labour that day, nor did she go into labour the next day, or the day after that. In fact, a week after her due date, Molly still hadn't gone into labour.

"I want it out of me, Martin." Molly growled on the morning of August 2nd. She was walking in circles around the bedroom, because a friend had told her that walking could stimulate labour.

"I know Molls. I wish there was something I could do." Martin was just as miserable as Molly, although a lot less uncomfortable.

"Here, why don't you try those accupressure points again." Molly said, sitting down on the bed next to Martin. He pulled her swollen feet over to him and began to massage halfway up the sides of her calves. They had been trying this all week, and Molly said she felt small contractions when he did it, so they kept on trying it, hoping that eventually it was cause labour to begin.

After half an hour Molly groaned.

"Okay stop, that hurts now." Martin ran his hands up Molly's legs and slid up the bed to lie on his side next to her. Molly looked over at him with a thoughtful expression.

"What?" Martin asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Fuck me."

Martin spluttered for a second while trying to come up with an answer.

"What!" was all he could manage.

"I want you to fuck me, Martin. Sex me up, make me feel good. I know it's been a while but I'm sure you'll remember." Molly said, a wry smile on her face as she poked fun at her husband.

"I know what you meant. Aren't you in pain though, or uncomfortable? I wouldn't want to make you more uncomfortable than you already are."

"Listen, everyone says sex is a great way to induce labour. I don't feel particularly sexy right now, but I want to have sex with you." Molly pulled him over and began to kiss him earnestly. It took Martin a second, but he soon responded, pulling Molly's shorts down as he kissed her.

It took them a few moments to get their clothes off but once they were Molly settled back against the pillows, pulling Martin in for another luxuriously slow snog. His hands were all over her body, touching, caressing, squeezing. It didn't take long before he was slowly sliding into her. He buried himself to the hilt and stayed there, just rocking slightly against Molly. He looked at her, a bit indecisively.

"That's good, so good Martin." Molly breathed. She tried to lean up to kiss him but her belly got in the way. She growled in frustration and bucked her hips. If she couldn't enjoy making love to her husband slowly, she would ramp up the heat.

"Go, Martin. I know you want to, so do it. I'm not going to break." She said, grabbing his hand kissing the palm. Martin groaned and began to thrust his hips, slowly pulling out all the way and then sliding back in. Molly nipped at his hand and he gave a little yelp, slamming hard into her in surprise.

"Yes!" she cried out at the firm pressure, throwing her head back agains the pillow with a smile on her face.

Martin was still unsure about Molly having such rough sex in her condition, but who was he to say whether or not she should enjoy something? He threw all of his cautions to the wind and began thrusting in earnest. Molly kept a hold of his hand and began to suck on his fingers, causing his movements to become a little frantic for a moment.

"How do you do this to me!" Martin asked breathlessly.

"I know what you like." Molly said through clenched teeth as Martin began to rub her clit. "And boy, do you know what I like." Martin grinned at that.

It didn't take them long before they were both crashing through their orgasms, crying out each other's names.

Martin pulled the blanket over them to guard against the overactive air conditioning and they lay there panting for quite a while before coming back to reality.

"If you don't go into labour in the next hour, we should definitely repeat this experiment." Martin said after a while.

Molly burst out laughing.

* * *

Molly didn't go into labour in the next hour. However, she did wake up early the next morning without knowing what woke her up. After a second she realized that her belly felt unusually tight. She gasped, running her hands over it, and before she knew it, the tightness had faded. She sat up and grabbed her phone, pulling up the app she had downloaded to keep track of contractions when the time came. The time had definitely come.

However, it was about 4 in the morning, and she knew it would be a long process, so she didn't move or wake up Martin. She just leaned back against the pillows and dozed between contractions.

Martin woke up at 7:30, at which time the contractions were coming about half an hour apart, and only lasting about 15 seconds each. When he woke up Molly was in the middle of one such contraction.

"What are you doing?" he asked, rubbing his face into his pillow, fighting to stay asleep.

"Timing my contraction." Molly said, a little tightly from the pain. Martin yelped and jumped out of bed.

"What! You're in labour?" he asked, running around trying to find some trousers.

"Have been for almost four hours. Those trousers are on backwards. Take them off and get back into bed, silly. We don't need to go anywhere for a few hours more, at the very least." Molly said, trying to hide her grin at Martin's antics and failing completely. Martin blushed a bit, but he took the sweatpants off and climbed back under the covers, pulling Molly to cuddle against him.

"So when _do_ we go to the hospital?" he asked.

"When the contractions are four minutes apart, last one minute, and have been that way for one hour or more." Molly said.

"And what are the stats right now?"

"15 second contractions every half hour or so. It's going to take a while, love."

"What do you want to do while we wait?" Martin asked.

"Why don't we put the laptop on the bed and watch some movies? I'm comfy here, I don't really want to move to the couch."

"We can do anything you want, Molls." Martin said. He gave Molly a kiss and went to fetch the laptop and a stack of her favourite movies. He didn't know how long they'd be at this, but if it was going to be their last day as just the two of them, he was going to make it a good one.


	9. Chapter 9

By one in the afternoon Molly's contractions had progressed to 30 second contractions, 20 minutes apart. They had already watched three movies and were tired of sitting in bed, so they moved into the living room

Martin was sitting cross-legged on the couch drinking coffee while Molly paced in circles around the living room, her hands on her lower back. Martin wasn't moving, just his eyes followed Molly around the room. She stopped and leaned on the bookcase for support as another contraction hit her. She groaned through the pain and stayed where she was standing for a bit after the contraction had faded.

"Are you alright?" Martin asked tentatively.

"No I'm not fucking alright, I'm in pain." Molly snapped. She looked shocked at the words that came out of her mouth as if she hadn't even been aware that she was speaking them. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"I know. What can I do?" He felt so helpless in all of this. He had already done his part in the process by making her pregnant, and now he just had to sit there and watch the love of his life suffer because of it. He felt absolutely terrible.

"I don't know. There's nothing we can really do. This is supposed to get worse, not better, you know." She said with a small smile.

"Why don't we take a bath? It might be nice and relaxing." Martin suggested. Molly thought about it for a second before nodding.

Martin filled the tub with water that was just above room temperature and lit some candles for good measure. If you're going to do relaxing you should do it right, he thought to himself.

They climbed into the tub and cuddled for a while, Molly sitting between Martin's legs and leaning on his chest. He held her as the contractions grew stronger and more painful, and talked her through them.

* * *

For the remainder of the afternoon they alternated between walking around the flat, curled together on the couch or bed, and the bathtub as the contractions grew steadily stronger and longer. By 7:00 in the evening it was finally time to go to the hospital, with contractions one minute long, four minutes apart, and had been that way for just shy of an hour.

When they arrived at the maternity ward the nurses whisked Molly off for a few tests and to get her changed into her gown. Once the two of them had settled into their birthing room, with Molly hooked up to fetal monitors, it was another game of hurry up and wait.

It didn't take long for their family to get there. They had decided put off calling them earlier in the day because they didn't want them hanging around the flat or constantly calling them when there would be no new news. But Martin had called them on their way to the hospital, and true to her word, Barbara had a video camera when Martin greeted them in the hallway. She shoved it in his face before he could even say hello.

"Well, how are things going?" she asked.

"Things are going good, I guess. She's been in labour for 15 hours now and the midwife says that she is 7 cm dilated, so there's still a bit of a wait." He replied, side-eyeing the camcorder. He wasn't sure this was going to be a video they would enjoy watching at a later date.

"Can we go see her?" Shannon asked.

"Yeah, come on in."

They all traipsed into the room, and the women rushed to the bed, where Molly was currently resting. Martin hung back as he watched her greet their family. She was smiling, but Martin could see the exhaustion behind her eyes. He couldn't stop worrying about her, wishing he could make the pain go away. Martin's father glanced over at him.

"You alright, buddy?" Frank asked, coming over to sit with him against the back wall. Martin smiled at the childhood moniker and leaned into his father's side, needing the parental reassurance.

"I'm exhausted, and I'm not even the one dealing with all of that." He said, gesturing in the general direction of his wife.

"You'll be alright, don't worry." Frank said, putting his arm around Martin's shoulders and giving him a squeeze.

"I believe you. But I'm not the one I'm worried about."

"Molly will be fine. Women have been doing this since the dawn of man. She's healthy and young, and there are no complications. Things will be absolutely _fine_."

"Thanks Dad." He rested his head on his father's shoulder for a moment. Their moment was broken by the sound of a camera shutter. Looking up, Martin saw Jenn pointing a camera at them. He was about to say something, when Molly began to groan from the bed. Before he even knew what was happening he was by her side, holding her hand and brushing her hair back from her face. He pet her hair and murmured encouraging things to her as she moaned through the contraction. As the contractions got stronger, her moans became loader. She squeezed Martin's hand until it hurt, but he didn't say anything. He would take any pain right now, as long as it took that pain away from her.

* * *

It took Molly another three hours to become completely dilated, and in that time she had sat on a pilates ball to stretch her pelvis, taken a shower and let the warm water beat on her back, sat in bed with Martin behind her massaging her lower back, and she had walked in circles around the room. Various family members came in and out, usually passing the time in the waiting room where the children could be a little bit more rambunctious.

Molly's contractions continued to get stronger and stronger until she could no longer do anything except moan in pain and misery throughout them. Martin often held Molly through the pain, not making a sound when she squeezed his hand too hard, or bit his shoulder to muffle the sound. Her moans just tore through Martin and it felt like his heart was breaking every time. Eventually, while Molly was dozing between contractions, he had to leave the room and just take a breather in the waiting room. Seeing the look on his face, Nathan bought him a coffee and took him for a walk outside. It was late and the world was dark, but the fresh air felt good on Martin's face.

"How are you holding up?" Nathan asked.

"How does it look like I'm holding up?"

"Not good."

"I just want to make it better, but I can't, Nate. Seeing her in so much pain is _killing_ me." He was getting himself a bit worked up now, and tears started to fall down his cheeks without him even realizing it.

"Hey, calm down, buddy." Nathan said, pulling his little brother into a hug. "Nothing is going wrong, everything is happening just like it should be. There's nothing to worry about." He said softly.

In truth Nathan was worried, but he was worried about Martin. If he was having such a hard time just watching Molly have contractions, he didn't know how Martin would react when Molly finally started pushing.

As if on cue, Alice ran out of the hospital, spotted them and waved them back over.

"She's about to start pushing, come on!" she called out. Martin's head whipped around to stare at her for half a second before he was sprinting back into the hospital.

He threw the door to Molly's room open with a bang and was by her side in a second.

"Where'd you go?" she asked. She sounded exhausted.

"Just needed some fresh air. Are you okay?" he asked, smoothing her sweaty hair out of her face.

"I'm alright. I just really want to push, but I have to wait for them to tell me when." She groaned, leaning her head back on his arm. "Oh I really want to push!" Martin looked around the room and saw the midwife and nurses gathering some supplies in the corner. They definitely looked like they were about to get the ball rolling.

Their parents came into the room behind Martin at a more sedate pace. They looked excited, and Barb had her camcorder out again. She had been interviewing everybody all evening, as if she was going to edit it into a documentary.

Looking back on the day, Martin was glad for the video because he didn't remember much from that point on. He remembered a lot of pained shouts and grunts from Molly. He remembered Molly squeezing his hand and arm until he lost circulation. A few days later he even found finger bruises on his bicep. One thing he would never ever forget was Molly screaming that he was never allowed to touch her again. He remembered it taking a long long time, as well. But he didn't remember much else.

However, when that little baby girl was finally born an hour later and placed screaming in Molly's arms the both of them were in tears. Molly didn't get to hold her long before she was whisked away for cleaning, tests, and measurements. Molly looked up at Martin, who was unabashedly sobbing next to her. She pulled him down for a kiss.

"She has your hair." She said. And it was true. That tiny baby had more red hair than she could possibly know what to do with. This caused Martin to sob even harder.

"You did such a good job, Molls." Martin said through the tears. They kissed again, because there was no other way to express the emotions they were both feeling.

* * *

It took a while for things to calm down but eventually the new family was left on their own to bond and catch their breath. After counting all of her toes and fingers, Martin and Molly were both cuddled on the bed, with their daughter between them. They didn't speak much, but occasionally one of them would throw out a name idea.

"Elizabeth?"

"No, I got beat up by an Elizabeth when I was a kid. Traumatized me."

"Jane?"

"A bit boring?"

"Jessica?"

"Every little girl is named Jessica."

"Fine then, why don't _you_ suggest one?"

"Alright. Tabatha?"

"Really?"

"Okay fine, um… Ashley?"

"What was that about every girl being named the same thing?"

"Oh whatever. How about Robyn?"

"I… actually that's pretty good."

"You think so?"

"I do. What do you think, little one? Do you like Robyn?" Molly asked, smiling at the little bundle in her arms.

The baby yawned with a squeak and cuddled closer into her mother. Her parents grinned and cuddled closer around little Robyn Melissa Crieff.


	10. Epilogue

Martin was in the rocking chair in the nursery at 4am, feeding Robyn a bottle. She was 2 weeks old and Martin felt like he had been pushed through a meat grinder and then pulled through the wringer. He hadn't slept more than 2 hours at a time since August 1st and there was no end in sight. Every two hours, like clockwork, Robyn was screaming for some reason or another. They tried to take it in shifts, especially in the middle of the night, but there was only so much you could do. He was about ready to kill whoever it was that said to sleep while the baby was sleeping, because you just couldn't. That was when you had to get everything else done, like dishes and laundry, and tidying the flat.

He had to return to work next week. The past two weeks had just flown by, and it felt like he hadn't had any time off at all. Leaving Molly and Robyn alone right now wasn't exactly high on his list of things he wanted to do, but he also was looking forward to going back to flying, if only to get a full night's sleep in a hotel once in a while.

Robyn finished her bottle and started fussing, so he threw a cloth over his shoulder and paced the room while he burped her. After a particularly robust belch he transferred her down into the crook of his arm so he could see her face in the dim light. She looked back at him and cooed. He couldn't help but smile when she did things like that, no matter how tired he was. He put his finger in her palm and she wrapped her little fingers around it.

"I don't want to leave you and your Mommy tomorrow, you know. But I have to. I'll be back though. After I fly to Hong Kong and back. I'll bring you something, though. I'm going to bring you back something from every single place I fly to. And then one day, I will take you to see the places where I got all of your gifts." He started playing with the aeroplane mobile hanging over the cot as he murmured to her. The moving planes caught Robyn's eye and she gurgled as she stared at it.

"You like the planes, do you?" He murmured with a smile. "Well tell you what. Next summer, I'll take you to an air show. You'll love it, Roo. There are all kinds of aeroplanes doing displays and shows. There are interviews with pilots too, but that's nothing special, because any aviation questions you have, you can ask your Daddy." He rocked Robyn softly and paced the room a few times before settling back in the rocking chair.

It wasn't long before the pair were fast asleep in the chair, dreaming of flying and clouds.

* * *

Thank you to everybody who has read this! It has been an absolute joy to write. This is just the first draft, and I do plan on rewriting it and reposting it. I have only listened to the first series of Cabin Pressure, and I know I have quite a few canonical errors, so I intend to bring it closer to canon in the rewrite, as well as adding a few more scenes that have popped into my head.

Any and all constructive criticism, advice, or just your thoughts are more than welcome!

-SarahRad


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